A food aid distribution turned into a nightmare on Thursday February 29 in Gaza.
According to the Hamas Ministry of Health, more than 110 people lost their lives during this rally, scene of scenes of trampling and live fire from the Israeli army on the crowd.
Thousands of people gathered in Al-Rashid Street, near the "Nablus roundabout", in western Gaza, the main city in the north of the Gaza Strip, where Palestinians reported being forced, in recent days, eating animal fodder or slaughtering draft animals for food.
According to witnesses and the Gaza health services, the Israeli soldiers, stationed nearby to protect the aid convoy, opened fire on this crowd which rushed on the trucks, around thirty according to the Israeli army, at their disposal. arrival on site.
Since then, this tragedy has aroused strong emotion within the international community, which is demanding clarification.
France notably requested an “independent investigation”, as did Germany.
For now, the Israeli army and Hamas blame each other.
Israel speaks of “limited fire” and a “scramble”
While recognizing "limited shooting" by Israeli soldiers feeling "threatened", an army official reported to AFP "a stampede during which dozens of residents were killed and injured, some run over by aid trucks.”
Part of the convoy continued on its way, pursued by "dozens of civilians" who approached tanks and Israeli forces, according to this official.
“The soldiers fired warning shots into the air, then shot at those who posed a threat,” he added, stressing that they had “a limited response, limited shooting”.
This military official did not specify which organization these aid trucks were linked to.
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, indicated on X "that no UN agency was involved in this distribution".
In the evening, the spokesperson for the Israeli army, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, returned to this tragedy in a video published on even trampling other Gazans to death, looting humanitarian supplies. The unfortunate incident resulted in dozens of Gazans being killed or injured," he said.
Daniel Hagari insisted the tanks were there "to secure the humanitarian corridor" so the convoy could reach its destination.
He also denied any air strike on the convoy.
Drawing on a short video that appears to show a tank driving parallel to the crowd, several meters away, he added that "as you can see in this video, the tanks that were there to secure the convoy - you can see the Gazans trampled - cautiously try to disperse the crowd with a few warning shots in the air."
When the crowd began to grow and "things got out of control", the tank pulled out "carefully" to avoid harming Gazans, he added.
“We recognize the suffering of the innocent people of Gaza. That is why we are looking for ways to expand our humanitarian efforts.”
Full statement from IDF Spokesperson on IDF-facilitated humanitarian aid convoy incident.https://t.co/ljrTZ4hfnI
— IDF (@IDF_IDF) February 29, 2024
Palestinian witnesses speak of “shooting on the crowd”
Palestinian witnesses contradict this version.
A person who requested anonymity to AFP explained that "aid trucks got too close to some army tanks that were in the area and the crowd, thousands of people, took assault the trucks".
The soldiers then “fired on the crowd because people were getting too close to the tanks.”
Another Gaza resident, Kamel Abu Nahel, cited by Reuters, who was being treated for a gunshot wound at al-Chifa hospital, said he and others had gone to the distribution point at middle of the night because they learned there would be a food delivery.
“We’ve been eating animal food for two months,” he said.
He said Israeli troops opened fire on the crowd as people removed flour and canned goods from trucks, causing the Palestinians to disperse.
Some hid under cars.
After the shooting stopped, people returned to the trucks.
The soldiers then opened fire again.
He was shot in the leg and fell, then a truck ran over his leg as he sped away.
A doctor at al-Chifa hospital also claimed that Israeli soldiers shot at "thousands of citizens" who were rushing towards aid trucks in Gaza City.
The Palestinian Authority, in power in the occupied West Bank, for its part “condemned a heinous massacre committed by the occupying forces”.
An international outcry
This tragedy sparked strong reactions all over the world.
French President Emmanuel Macron reacted in a message published on his X account. “Deep indignation at the images reaching us from Gaza where civilians were targeted by Israeli soldiers,” he wrote in the night of Thursday to Friday.
“I express my strongest disapproval of these shots and demand truth, justice and respect for international law,” he added.
Referring to a “dramatic” situation in the Gaza Strip, the French president recalled that “all civilian populations must be protected”.
“A ceasefire must be put in place immediately to allow humanitarian aid to be distributed.”
The French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, also called on Friday for an independent investigation into this carnage.
“I want to be very clear today, we will ask for explanations and there will need to be an independent investigation to determine what happened,” he declared on France Inter.
Deep indignation at the images reaching us from Gaza where civilians have been targeted by Israeli soldiers.
I express my strongest disapproval of these shots and demand truth, justice and respect for international law.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 29, 2024
On the Washington side, American President Joe Biden recognized that this drama would complicate talks for a truce in this war triggered after the deadly Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel.
A faithful ally of Israel, the United States demanded “answers” from the government of Benjamin Netanyahu, calling for a “thorough investigation”.
“The best way to alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people is to reach agreement on a temporary ceasefire (...),” the State Department said Thursday, speaking of a situation “incredibly desperate" in Gaza.
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said she was "deeply troubled by the images" of the distribution.
“Every effort must be made to investigate what happened while ensuring transparency. Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need, access to it must be guaranteed,” she said. on X. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, denounced “new carnage” and “totally unacceptable” deaths.
Deeply disturbed by images from Gaza.
Every effort must be made to investigate what happened and ensure transparency
Humanitarian aid is a lifeline for those in need and access to it must be ensured.
We stand by civilians, urging their protection in line with international law
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) March 1, 2024
Italy and Spain also condemned the drama in Gaza, deeming a ceasefire “urgent”.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock also called on the Israeli military authorities on Friday to "conduct a full investigation into how the panic and shooting occurred", once again calling for a "humanitarian truce ".
China called for a “ceasefire” and to guarantee the entry of humanitarian aid into the territory, subject to the green light from Israel.
Heavyweight in the Arab world, Saudi Arabia condemned “the targeting of defenseless civilians by the occupying forces”.
The Arab League, for its part, condemned “in the strongest terms a barbaric and brutal act which totally disregards human life”.
Qatar, one of the main mediators in the war, called for "international action to immediately end (Israeli) aggression."
Finally, the UN Security Council met urgently and behind closed doors, after the head of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, said he was "shocked" by Thursday's drama and pleaded for "a effective independent investigation.
I condemn Thursday's incident in Gaza in which more than 100 people were reportedly killed or injured while seeking life-saving aid.
The desperate civilians in Gaza need urgent help, including those in the north where the @UN has not been able to deliver aid in more than a week.
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) March 1, 2024
Please note: the number of victims is provided by the Hamas-led Gaza Ministry of Health.
The ministry collects information provided by hospitals in the enclave and by the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The Health Ministry in Gaza does not indicate how the Palestinians were killed, whether by Israeli airstrikes and/or barrages or failed Palestinian rocket attacks.
It describes all victims as victims of "Israeli aggression" and also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
During the four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, United Nations agencies regularly cited Health Ministry figures in their reports.
The International Committee of the Red Cross and the Palestinian Red Crescent also use these figures.
In the aftermath of previous episodes of war, the United Nations Humanitarian Office published casualty figures based on its own research into medical records.
The UN figures largely agree with those of the Gaza Ministry of Health, with a few differences.
To learn more about the reports from the Gaza Ministry of Health, click here or here.
France 24 with AP
With AFP and Reuters
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